There was a man named Ighne who lived near Teilionn in Co.
Donegal. He kept a pony grazing on a nearby mountain and once he went to
see how it fared as it was coming into the cold weather. So he set out one
morning and went to the mountain but there was no sign of his pony.

He searched everywhere, but still could not find the pony
and he was at a complete loss and tired out from his efforts so he sat
down by the side of a stream to rest. He dozed off there he was so
exhausted.

In the middle of the night he awoke a little and heard the
sounds of loud noises and a multitude of people all talking at once. He
thought this strange that there would be a crowd on the lonely mountain and it
in winter time and so he sat up and looked all around him.

Then he saw them and it was the fairy hosts, and they were
all intent on discussing a problem.

'What will we do with this man?' one asked.

The others replied 'Let us kill him.'

The others agreed with this course of action, but one
stopped them and spoke clearly and the others stopped immediately and
listened to him.

'No,' he said 'None of us will harm this mortal, for I have
known his family for many generations and they have much respect for our kind,
and I say none shall be allowed to harm a hair of his head.'

Then there was a silence among them and they asked then:

'What shall we do with him, for he
lies out on our hill,
when he should be in his own home and has disturbed our peace.'

'Let us give him a powerful cure and there will be none to
equal him at curing people, and send him on his way.'

So they all gathered round him and gave him much
information about the curing of diseases and from that time on he spent
his time curing people when all the ordinary doctors had failed to do so.